Dr. Joni Hand Lecture

Event Description:
On Wednesday, March 6 at noon, as part of Kent Library’s Athenaeum series, Dr. Joni Hand of the Department of Art will present “Female Book Owners in Flanders and the Low Countries: Identity expressed through patronage.”
The proliferation of books of hours in the 14th and 15th centuries was due in part to the desire of the laity to pray in the manner of the clergy. In addition to specific prayers, many patrons had stylistic preferences incorporated into their manuscripts that reveal their cultural backgrounds or aesthetic sensibilities. The textual and aesthetic choices made for manuscript commissions by noble-women were especially revealing. Religious manuscripts gave women a vehicle by which they could assert their individual identities within the restrictive court environment.
The event is open to the public and snacks will be provided.